Chandrapur: Bamboo is a ‘kalpavriksha‘ (wishing tree), capable of generating employment and industry across rural India, former state forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said on World Bamboo Day at an event held at the Forest Academy in Chandrapur.Mungantiwar steered Cabinet approval for a Bamboo Research and Training Centre at Chichpalli near Chandrapur and said the district’s bamboo sector has the potential to challenge China’s dominance.Calling for a shift from viewing forests purely as natural resources to embracing a ‘forest-to-wealth’ model, he said bamboo could create jobs for rural, tribal and remote communities without India’s economic growth depending solely on cities.Bamboo can be processed into paper, furniture, textiles, charcoal, biochar and biomass, besides agricultural products such as fencing for farmers. He highlighted bamboo fabric’s eco-friendly qualities as a sustainable alternative for India’s textile industry.Mungantiwar also proposed positioning bamboo under the “One Product One District” scheme to lift Chandrapur’s district GDP.
